"GODíS WILL FOR YOU"
Making Godís Will Priority OneINTRODUCTION
1. We have been examining what is Godís will for you in this series of
lessons...
a. But it is not enough to simply know what is Godís will
b. We must also make doing His will our number one priority
2. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus talks about the importance of
priority...
a. In overcoming anxiety - Mt 6:25-27
b. In experiencing the providential care of God - Mt 6:28-32
b. By seeking first the kingdom of God - Mt 6:33-34
[Beginning with Mt 6:33, letís first look at what is involved in...]
I. SEEKING THE WILL OF GODA. INVOLVES THE REIGN OF GOD...
1. Jesus said to "seek first the kingdom of God" - Mt 6:33
2. Broadly defined, the kingdom of God is the rule or reign of God
via His will
3. Thus Jesus could use "kingdom" and "will" in synonymous
parallelism - cf. Mt 6:10
4. Thus we must seek out what is Godís will for us, live it out in
our lives - e.g., Jn 4:34; 6:38-- Seeking the will of God means looking to Him reigning over our
livesB. INVOLVES THE DUTY OF DISCIPLESHIP...
1. It is Godís will that we listen to His Son - Mt 17:5; 28:18
2. Jesus has all authority, and He desires that we become His
disciples - Mt 28:18-20
3. Whereby we learn from Him, finding rest for our souls - Mt
11:28-30-- Seeking the will of God means becoming disciples of Jesus
ChristC. INVOLVES THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH...
1. Jesus came to establish His church - Mt 16:18
2. The church is that community of disciples who obey Him - Ac
2:41,47
3. Such obedience involves fellowship, assembling together - Ac
2:42; He 10:24-25-- Seeking the will of God means participation in the local
congregation
[But it is not sufficient to simply give the will of God a place in our
lives, the will of God which involves Godís reign, discipleship and the
church must be "priority one" in our lives...!]
II. PRIORITIZING THE WILL OF GODA. OVER SELF...
1. Jesus taught this in regards to discipleship - Lk 9:23
2. We must deny self, making the will of God number one
3. As Jesus prayed, "not as I will, but as You will" - Mt 26:39
4. This actually makes us better persons, as it undoubtedly did
for Timothy - cf. 1Ti 4:12-16-- The will of God must take priority over personal interestsB. OVER FAMILY...
1. Jesus taught this in regards to discipleship - Mt 10:34-37; Lk
14:26
2. Thus we must put Godís will before family
3. As Jesus demonstrated with His physical family - Mt 12:46-50
4. This actually creates better families, where love and respect
abides - cf. Ep 5:22-33-- The will of God must take priority over familial interestsC. OVER BUSINESS...
1. The apostles demonstrated this in answering the call to
discipleship - Mt 4:18-20; 9:9
2. Thus we must put Godís will before business affairs
3. How will we provide for family? With Godís providential help!
- Mt 6:30-34
4. This can actually lead to greater success in our business
ventures - cf. Gen 39:2-3; Dan 1:9-- The will of God must take priority over occupational interestsD. OVER EVERYTHING...
1. Jesus taught this in regards to discipleship - Lk 14:33
2. Thus we must put Godís will over everything else
3. As Paul demonstrated in his own life - Php 3:4-11-- The will of God must take priority over everything!CONCLUSION
1. We need to understand what is really important in life...
a. It is easy to be preoccupied with many things in this life - cf.
Lk 10:40-41
b. We must chose the good part, that which is truly important - cf.
Lk 10:42
2. We have seen that the "good part" regarding the will of God
involves...
a. Seeking the rule of Christ in our lives
b. Serving as disciples of Jesus Christ
c. Involvement in the church of Christ
3. In the parable of the great supper, Jesus illustrated...
a. The danger of making excuses - Lk 14:16-18
b. How many will use family or business duties to keep them away - Lk
14:18-20
c. The displeasure of God when people do not put His will first - Lk
14:21-24
But when we truly understand what is Godís will for us, the blessings
experienced by doing His will, then making Godís will "priority one"
will not be a problem for us.
Have you made Godís will "priority one" in your life, by submitting to
the reign of Christ, becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ, and giving His
church the proper place in your life?
May we all be willing to say to God as Jesus Himself did...
"Not as I will, but as You will" - Mt 26:39